Genevieve Gorder of "Trading Spaces" Is Seriously Living Her Best Life Right Now

At just 24 years old, Genevieve Gorder was the youngest cast member on Trading Spaces when it premiered 15 years ago. Her fresh eye for design made her rooms some of the most beloved from the series, but it was her bubbly personalty, bohemian style, and quirky habit of walking barefoot into each home for the first time that won fans over.

And even though she says she was "unreasonably young" to experience the fame that came with being on the show, she hasn't looked back since debuting on the fourth episode back in November 2000. Which is why it's no surprise she'll be making a return on the reboot (which airs on TLC Saturdays at 8 p.m.).

.

But, FYI she almost didn't audition for the show.

Producers were looking for award-winning designers and Genevieve had just won an award for designing a Tanqueray No. 10 bottle ("I didn't even like gin at the time," she tells GoodHousekeeping.com). When she was asked to try out, she wasn't sure at first.

After all, she had a solid job in New York City in the design world. But she knew she had too much energy to sit behind a desk all day long and the opportunity to travel was too exciting to pass up. Ultimately, she flew down to Tennessee to audition and out of 5,000 people, Genevieve (along with her five fellow original designers) was chosen.

That's where the hard part started. For the first season, producers were begging homeowners to be on the show. But once Trading Spaces started airing, everything changed. Genevieve describes it like going on a road trip for six years, but the country was chasing her and the cast along the way. "It was like we were in a rock band, but really we just painted walls," she says.

The next six years were filled with many highs and lows.

Her favorite makeover was for a woman in Santa Fe who was getting over the loss of a spouse and needed help to propel her out of darkness. Genevieve calls it the "most therapeutic" and "honest" episode she was ever on — and that the reward of her delight afterwards was everything.

But, of course, there was also the iconic San Diego episode where Genevieve glued moss onto a bedroom wall. "I really should figured out he had allergies," she says. She calls it one of her most important learning experiences on the show — but also points out that the neighbors should have known he was allergic too. (Touché.)

And as a design concept, she would do it again — and has. "I went home to Manhattan and [put moss on the wall] 10 different times," she says. Without a problem she adds.

Genevieve was all about statement walls back in the day, like this tiled mosaic in a living room.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF TLC / ILLUSTRATION: BETSY FARRELL

So, she knows not all of her rooms were a slam dunk.

She says she'd go back and do "every single one" of her rooms differently. "It's like looking back at what you used to wear: At the time it worked — but a $1,000 makeover doesn't stand the test of time," she says. But that doesn't mean she has any regrets.

To her, the show was about more than just the reveal. It was about helping people across the country learn about interior decor and realize they deserve to have a beautiful home. "The show helped people understand that it's not about money, but about creativity and living a beautiful life no matter what your budget is," she says.

Not to mention it inspired a new generation of designers. "I get stopped and people say 'I became a designer because of you or because of that show' and that is incredibly rewarding," she says.

And she's only continued to inspire people.

.

After Trading Spaces ended, she went on to do 22 different lifestyle shows around the world, including hosting Battle on the Block, serving as a judge on HGTV Design Star, and starring in Dear Genevieve. She also designed several home product lines and has served as a spokesperson for a foray of brands, including most recently Fiber One, where she pushed women to take more guilt-free me time at home. Perhaps in a She Shed. With a Fiber One Brownie Bite.

Personally, she's also happy.

After all, she's a newly engaged woman. Her now-fiancé, furniture designer Christian Dunbar, proposed this past February after they were set up by a mutual friend a little over a year ago. "My friend said he felt like he knew this perfect person who'd had a crush on me for years," the 43-year-old says.

Initially they started by talking on the phone and texting, then eventually they were having eight-hour long phone calls. "It takes a big love to say I'm going to make room for you in a big way, because my life was already good," she says. The couple plans to get married in Morocco and we're already dying to see the photos.

Until then, you might catch a peek of him on the show.

Genevieve says he does the big stuff she can't do, like furniture, and while filming her episode for the reboot he got antsy on set, so he decided to pitch in. Though she doesn't know how the episode will be edited and if he'll make the final cut, she says he made a "beautiful piece" for her room. We'll have to wait to see what happens.

But what she guarantees viewers will see are "more complete" designs from her, thanks to 20 years of experience. "I loved what I did [in the original] when I did it, and people loved it too, but now as a mother, a professional designer, a TV producer, and a product designer, I know so much more," she says. Our DVR is already set.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.